1. to provide opportunities for evangelism to be learned and practiced in and by the church, that members may be better equipped to articulate their faith, to witness in word and deed to the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and to invite persons into a new life in Christ, in accordance with G-3.0300;
2. to receive members into the church upon profession of faith,^c upon reaffirmation of faith in Jesus Christ, or upon satisfactory certification of transfer of church membership, provided that membership shall not be denied any person because of race, economic or social circumstances, or any other reason not related to profession of faith;
3. to lead the congregation in participation in the mission of the whole Church in the world, in accordance with G-3.0000;
4. to provide for the worship of the people of God, including the preaching of the Word, the sharing of the Sacraments, and for the music program, in keeping with the principles in the Directory for Worship, and to appeal to the presbytery for a duly trained and authorized elder under the provisions of G-11.0103 in those extenuating circumstances where an ordained minister of the Word and Sacrament is not available to meet the needs for the administration of the Lord’s Supper;
5. to provide for the growth of its members and for their equipment for ministry through personal and pastoral care, educational programs including the church school, sharing in fellowship and mutual support, and opportunities for witness and service in the world;
6. to develop and supervise the church school and the educational program of the church;
7. to lead the congregation in ministries of personal and social healing and reconciliation in the communities in which the church lives and bears its witness;
8. to challenge the people of God with the privilege of responsible Christian stewardship of money and time and talents, developing effective ways for encouraging and gathering the offerings of the people and assuring that all offerings are distributed to the objects toward which they were contributed;
9. to establish the annual budget, determine the distribution of the church’s benevolences, and order offerings for Christian purposes, providing full information to the congregation of its decisions in such matters;
10. to lead the congregation continually to discover what God is doing in the world and to plan for change, renewal, and reformation under the Word of God;
11. to engage in a process for education and mutual growth of the members of the session;
12. to instruct, examine, ordain, install, and welcome into common ministry elders and deacons on their election by the congregation and to inquire into their faithfulness in fulfilling their responsibilities;
13. to delegate and to supervise the work of the board of deacons and the board of trustees and all other organizations and task forces within the congregation, providing for support, report, review, and control;
14. to provide for the administration of the program of the church, including employment of nonordained staff, with concern for equal employment opportunity, fair employment practices, personnel policies, and the annual review of the adequacy of compensation for all staff, including all employees;
15. to provide for the management of the property of the church, including determination of the appropriate use of church buildings and facilities, and to obtain property and liability insurance coverage to protect the facilities, programs, and officers, including members of the session, staff, board of trustees, and deacons;
16. to maintain regular and continuing relationship to the higher governing bodies of the church, including
1. electing commissioners to presbytery^d and receiving their reports; sessions are encouraged to elect commissioners to the presbytery for at least one year, preferably two or three;
2. nominating to presbytery elders who may be considered for election to synod or General Assembly;
3. in both the above responsibilities, implementing the principles of participation and inclusiveness to ensure fair representation in the decision making of the church;
4. observing and carrying out the instructions of the higher governing bodies consistent with the Constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.);
5. welcoming representatives of the presbytery on the occasions of their visits;
6. proposing to the presbytery and, through it, to the synod and the General Assembly such measures as may be of common concern to the mission of the whole church;
7. sending annually to the stated clerk of the presbytery statistical and other information according to the requirements of the presbytery.
17. to establish and maintain those ecumenical rela-tionships necessary for the life and mission of the church in its locality;
18. to serve in judicial matters in accordance with the Rules of Discipline;^e
19. to keep an accurate roll of the membership of the church, in accordance with G-10.0302, and to grant certificates of transfer to other churches, which when issued for parents shall include the names of their children specifying whether they have been baptized, and which when issued for an elder or deacon shall include the record of ordination.

1. The pastor of the church shall be the moderator of the session and the session shall not meet without the pastor except as hereunder provided. In congregations where there are co-pastors, they shall, when present, alternately preside in the session. When it may appear advisable for prudential reasons that some minister other than the pastor should preside, the pastor may, with the concurrence of the session, invite a minister of the same presbytery to do so. A presbytery may appoint a lay pastor as moderator of session to the church to which she or he is commissioned. The person assigned to the commissioned lay pastor as mentor and supervisor shall also supervise his or her work as moderator. In addition, the moderator of the session of a church with a vacant pulpit may request an elder who is a member of the presbytery’s committee on ministry, the stated clerk, executive presbyter, or associate executive presbyter, to preside; such elder may not moderate the session of the church of which that elder is a member. In the case of the sickness or absence of the pastor the same expedient may be adopted; or the session, after having obtained the approval of the pastor, may convene and elect another of its own members to preside.

2. When a church is without a pastor, the moderator of the session shall be the minister appointed for that purpose by the presbytery, or a minister of the same presbytery invited by the session to preside on a particular occasion. When it is impossible for such a minister to attend, the session may elect one of its own members to preside.

3. In all judicial cases, the moderator of the session shall be a minister of the presbytery to which the church belongs.

   Every session shall maintain rolls of members as defined by G-5.0300, and registers as provided below.

1. Membership Rolls. The names of the members shall be placed upon, removed, or deleted from the rolls of the church only by order of the session whenever the session is fully satisfied that such action is justified.

1. Baptized Members’ Roll. The baptized members’ roll shall list the names of those persons baptized in the particular church who have not made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and children of active members or of ministers of the Word and Sacrament related to the particular church, when such children have been baptized elsewhere.

2. (a)Active Members’ Roll. The active members’ roll shall list the names of those who have been received into the membership of the church and who are active in the church’s work and worship. The number of members on this roll shall be reported to the General Assembly annually.

(b)An active member who has temporarily moved from the community may become an affiliate member of another church of this denomination or of a denomination in correspondence with the General Assembly, in which case the session may issue a certificate of good standing. (G-15.0201) The certificate shall be directed to a particular church named therein, shall commend the member to its pastoral care, and shall be valid for two years. Upon the issuance of the certificate, the session shall retain the name of the member on the active roll of the church until the person is received into membership in the other church.

(c)When a member moves and can no longer be active in the work and worship of the church of membership, it shall be that person’s duty to become an active member of a church in the community where that person is living. The session of the church of membership shall inform the person of this duty as soon as practicable and shall notify a church in the new community and request it to provide pastoral care with a view to membership. In addition, notice shall be sent to either the presbytery office or to the stated clerk of the presbytery, or both.

3. (a)Inactive Members’ Roll. The inactive members’ roll shall list the names of those who have been removed from the active members’ roll because of their failure, in the judgment of the session, to participate in the church’s work and worship. No member shall be transferred from the active to the inactive roll until that member shall have failed intentionally to participate in the work and worship of the church for a period of one year and until the session shall have made diligent effort to discover the cause of the member’s nonparticipation and to restore the member to activity in the church’s work and worship. Any member whose name is so transferred shall be notified of this action.

(b) A nonresident member to whom the notice required above has been given may after one year be placed on the inactive members’ roll. The session shall then advise the person at the last known address to request a certificate of transfer to a Christian church in the community of residence.

4. Affiliate Members’ Roll. The affiliate members’ roll shall list the names of those who have been received into affiliate membership by the session and who are active in the church’s work and worship. Affiliate membership must be renewed every two years.

2. The session may delete names from the rolls of the church in the following circumstances:

1. When requested, the session shall issue a certificate of transfer to a particular church setting forth the membership status of the person. The church receiving the certificate shall determine whether to receive the person as a member and the conditions upon which that person shall be received. When a certificate of transfer has been issued, the name of the member shall be retained on the appropriate roll by the church issuing the certificate until the person is received into membership in the other church. As soon as the person is received, the receiving church shall notify the session issuing the certificate of the member’s reception, whereupon the session shall delete the name.

2. When a church is dissolved, the presbytery of jurisdiction shall take possession of its records, have jurisdiction over its members, and grant them certificates of transfer to other churches.

3. When a member, whether active or inactive, requests that membership be terminated, the session, after making diligent effort to persuade the member to retain membership, may delete that person’s name from the active or inactive roll.

4. When a member joins another church without a regular transfer or renounces the jurisdiction of this church, the session shall delete the member’s name from any rolls on which it has been listed.

5. When a nonresident member has been given the notices required above, and that member’s name has been on the inactive roll for one year, the session may delete that person’s name from the roll without further notice.

6. When a member moves and the session is unable, after due and diligent search, to ascertain the member’s place of residence, the session, after one year of absence, may delete that person’s name from any roll on which it has been listed.

7. When a resident church member has been transferred from the active to the inactive roll, it shall be the duty of the session to provide that member pastoral care. If pastoral care for a period of two years fails to accomplish that person’s restoration as an active member, the session may without further notice delete the person’s name from the roll.

8. When a member dies, the session shall record the date of death and delete the name from the roll.

3. Registers. The session shall keep complete registers of
1. Marriages, including marriages of all members of the church, all marriages conducted by the ministerial staff of the church, and all marriages performed on church property;
2. Baptisms
1. Infant Baptisms. Include name, parents’ names, and date of birth of those being baptized and the names of persons presenting the children for Baptism.
2. Adult Baptisms. Include name, parents’ names, and date of birth of those being baptized.
3. Elders, with the name of the church in which each was ordained, the date of ordination, terms of active service, and the record of removals;
4. Deacons, with the name of the church in which each was ordained, the date of ordination, terms of active service, and the record of removals;
5. Pastors, co-pastors, associate pastors, interim pastors, stated supplies, and parish associates serving the church, with dates of service.

   The treasurer shall be elected annually by the session, if permitted by the state in which the church is located, and his or her work shall be supervised by the session, or by specific assignment to the board of deacons or trustees. Those in charge of the various funds in the church shall report at least annually to the session, and more often when requested. The following minimum standards of financial procedure shall be observed:

1. The counting and recording of all offerings by at least two duly appointed persons, or a fidelity bonded person;
2. The keeping of adequate books and records to reflect all financial transactions, open to inspection by authorized church officers at reasonable times;
3. Periodic reporting of the financial activities to the board or boards vested with financial oversight at least annually, preferably more often;
4. A full financial review of all books and records relating to finances once each year by a public accountant or public accounting firm or a committee of members versed in accounting procedures. Such auditors should not be related to the treasurer (or treasurers). Terminology in this section is meant to provide general guidance and is not intended to require or not require specific audit procedures or practices as understood within the professional accounting community.